Friday 11 March is Euro Nintendo DS day

One week or two before Sony's PSP arrives?

Common Topics

Nintendo will launch its DS handheld console in Europe on Friday, 11 March, the company has revealed.

Priced at £100 in the UK and €149 on the continent, the console debuts alongside 15 games priced between £20 and £30. In the US, the headline price is $150 - the difference is largely accounted for by the inclusion of import duties and sales tax in the European prices but excluded from theUS figure.

Nintendo has allocated 650,000 units for European sales and intends to spend €35m ($45.6m) promotion, with a particular emphasis on women. Presumably, it feels male gamers will favour the more macho, black-cased Sony PSP, which is should ship a week or two later. ®